When Is the Tax Free Weekend in Tennessee?

Tennessee offers specific periods each year when consumers can purchase certain goods without paying sales tax. These sales tax holidays provide financial relief by temporarily exempting eligible items from the state’s sales tax. Shoppers can take advantage of these opportunities to save on various necessities.

General Sales Tax Holiday

Tennessee’s general sales tax holiday for 2025 is scheduled to begin at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, July 25, and conclude at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, July 27. This holiday primarily targets back-to-school purchases, making certain clothing, school supplies, and computers tax-exempt. Items must be bought for personal use.

Eligible clothing items include general apparel priced at $100 or less per item, such as shirts, pants, socks, shoes, and dresses. However, apparel exceeding $100, jewelry, handbags, and sports or recreational equipment do not qualify for the exemption. For school supplies, individual items must also be priced at $100 or less; this includes binders, backpacks, crayons, paper, pens, pencils, rulers, and various art supplies like glazes, clay, and paints. Supplies over the $100 limit are not exempt.

Computers, including laptops and tablets, are exempt if their purchase price is $1,500 or less and they are intended for personal use. Items such as storage media (e.g., flash drives, compact discs), individually purchased software, printer supplies, and household appliances are not eligible for this tax exemption.

Seasonal Food and Food Ingredients Tax Holiday

While Tennessee has offered sales tax holidays for food and food ingredients in previous years, these items were not included in the 2025 sales tax holiday. “Food and food ingredients” are typically defined as substances ingested by humans for taste or nutritional value.

This exemption generally covers most groceries, produce, and dairy products intended for home consumption. However, prepared foods, restaurant meals, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, candy, and dietary supplements are typically excluded from these types of tax holidays. There are usually no price limits on individual eligible food items when such a holiday is in effect.

Understanding How the Tax Holidays Work

The sales tax exemption during these holidays is generally applied automatically by participating retailers at the point of purchase. This applies to qualifying items bought both in-store and through online transactions made during the specified holiday period. For online purchases, the order must be placed and paid for within the holiday timeframe.

For rain checks, an item qualifies for the sales tax exemption only if it is purchased and paid for during the actual holiday period. For exchanges, if an item purchased before the holiday is returned during the holiday for an eligible, tax-exempt item, the new item can be purchased without sales tax.

If an item bought tax-free during the holiday is returned afterward for a different item, the new item is generally subject to sales tax. These holidays apply statewide, ensuring that all qualifying purchases receive the tax benefit.